River park builds path along West Bernardo Drive

The area along West Bernardo Drive in Rancho Bernardo near Escondido is undergoing work now to build a path for bicyclists and pedestrians. The pedestrian bridge over Lake Hodges, which is partially dry now, can be seen. In the distance is Interstate 15.
— Charlie Neuman

The area along West Bernardo Drive in Rancho Bernardo near Escondido is undergoing work now to build a path for bicyclists and pedestrians. The pedestrian bridge over Lake Hodges, which is partially dry now, can be seen. In the distance is Interstate 15.
— Charlie Neuman

About the path:

• It’s geared toward pedestrians and bicyclists, and will be separated from the road by a guard rail.

• The path will be about 2,500 feet long. About 750 of those will be a cantilever that will be suspended over the edge of the steep grade into Lake Hodges.

• It will allow easier access to the Lake Hodges pedestrian bridge for those heading north on West Bernardo Drive.

• The San Dieguito River Park hopes the project will be completed by the end of December.

• The project will cost about $2.8 million.

RANCHO BERNARDO  Pedestrians and bicyclists will be able to stroll and ride to the Lake Hodges bridge more safely when a project to add a path along West Bernardo Drive is completed in a few months.

The route will extend for 2,500 feet along the west side of the road. About 750 feet of the path will be suspended over the steep drop into Lake Hodges. The dangling walkway is called a cantilever.

It will be separated from the road, which now has bike lanes on both sides of the street, by a metal railing.

Construction of the nearly $2.8 million project began in September and is expected to be completed by late December or early January. The San Dieguito River Park, recently strapped for cash, is the agency contracting work on the path.

The river park regulates the area and builds trails along the San Dieguito River Valley, which cuts westward from Volcan Mountain in East County to the river delta in Del Mar. The agency is funded as a Joint Powers Authority, consisting of the county and the cities the river flows through. The city of San Diego, which was responsible for 36 percent of member funding, cut its $254,000 contribution to cope with its budget problems this year.

The river park was able to begin the project after receiving grants from the San Diego Association of Governments, more than $1.4 million, and the state, $350,000.

West Bernardo Drive has no sidewalk south of the bridge over Lake Hodges, so pedestrians must walk in the bike lane or on dirt near the precipice of the lake’s banks. The lane isn’t separated from the road by a divider or railing.

Getting from the road to the bridge poses another problem, with two sometimes risky solutions. One is to reach the bridge by stepping into the road, which often has cars whizzing by. The other is to step over the guard rail onto the crumbly dirt edge of Lake Hodges, which drops about 10 feet onto mud when the lake is dry.

“It’s not a good situation with the bridge,” said Susan Carter, deputy director of the river park. “The primary thing is it’s going to be a safer situation. ... It will be a surface useful for families (and) for kids.”

Residents saw a need for the path and the pedestrian junction to the bridge, too.

“You are supposed to get off the pavement onto a little dirt, where it’s about a 1 foot crumbling dirt path with a cliff, practically,” said Kate Humphrey, a Rancho Bernardo resident who walks the path several times a week. “Or you walk on the pavement, and cars are right there next to you, so this (path) is a good idea.”

The southbound lane on West Bernardo Drive has been closed since late September and will likely stay closed until the project is completed.